AirTEL shutdown leaves Montana customers hanging
Posted: Feb 23, 2009 03:00 PM MST
Updated: Feb 23, 2009 03:49 PM MST
AirTEL Montana ceased operations over the weekend, leaving Great Falls and area customers without phone service.
Many are angry: some had pre-paid for service just one day earlier and were then left with no service at all; others are upset that they had no warning that AirTEL would cease operations in Great Falls and Montana.
The Montana Attorney General's office is now involved in the sudden shut down of AirTEL in Montana; staff members say their office has been busy all day fielding calls.
According to a representative for the MT Attorney General, AirTEL hasn't filed for bankruptcy but its assets are frozen; that could make it difficult for customers to receive refunds.
The AG office asks that AirTEL customers complete a consumer complaint form (click here for consumer complaint form)
On Monday, customers were still coming to the Great Falls store today looking for answers.
One customer, Eric Erving, just bought two phones on Thursday and is now out more than $100. Ervin said, "If you knew you were shutting down why couldn't you get it out to the people saying you were doing so? And that way I wouldn't have purchased the phone from this company and (would have) gone somewhere else and gotten it."
Calls to AirTEL by KRTV have not been returned.
Other wireless companies are benefiting, however, as evidenced by a person who works for Verizon Wireless who posted the following message on her Twitter account on Saturday: Insane day at work today, a cell company here shut their doors without telling their customers. She followed that up with this message on Monday afternoon: Another insane day at vzw, getting the business customers from the airtel issue.
The main page of the AirTEL Montana website now features only this message:
AirTEL Wireless has ceased operations due to a lack of financial resources. If you need to contact us, please call (800) 234-8999 and leave a message. Please keep in mind that without employees, it will take us a while to sort through the messages and get back to you. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.